July 28, 2016

TANK 2016 Released!

TANK 2016 is now in production and will start shipping to customers soon. This is a very significant release of the software and includes a number of new features and code updates.

To start off, we received a new addendum to the API 650 code in January. It was addendum 2 to the twelfth edition. This new update contains significant mathematical changes that will produce different results than its predecessor. And of course, this means that the 2016 version of TANK will produce different results than the 2015 and previous versions. Here are a few notable changes:

Tables 5.21a and 5.21b – Uplift Loads

Uplift formulas revised and one formula removed.

W1, W2, and W3 definitions revised.

5.9.6.1 Top Wind Girder

Maximum tank diameter considered is 200 feet when computing the section modulus of the top roof/shell junction ring.

5.9.6.2

New requirement for computing the required moment of inertia for Wind Girders when the diameter is greater than 200 feet.

Maximum Design Pressure per F.4

The maximum design pressure Pmax is computed using new equations and depends on the type of roof the tank has.

There were, of course, many other changes to the code which are too numerous to list here.

Another major benefit is that we now include API 620 calculations. API 620 enables designers to use pressures up to 15 psig (1 atmosphere). In contrast, API 650 only allows design pressures up to 2.5 psig. Integrating a technically complex code like API 620 took quite a bit of time, as you might expect. Because the input is nearly identical for both, you can switch the design code and analyze each way for tanks that have low (less than or equal to 2.5 psig) design pressures.

Another big area of improvement is found in the output reports. The equations and substitutions were re-organized and are now integrated with their corresponding summaries. This screen shot illustrates another new feature: tables in the output.

The report header and footer can be easily changed to reflect your company’s logo.

Another new feature in this version is the export to VUE file format. With just a few clicks, these visualization files can be created into Intergraph Smart 3D and SmartPlant Review.

These are just a few of the many enhancements to TANK that we know you will find useful and enjoy.